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Meet Kit Butler, the model silverliner

(Photo credit: Rob Lacey Photography)

Kit Butler first appeared as a model in the inaugural Royds Withy King Fashion Show in 2015, and, since then, his modelling career has skyrocketed.

Now, his CV includes editorials for Vogue Italia. He has done major campaigns for Emporio Armani, Polo Ralph Lauren and Hugo Boss and he has walked for Balmain, Les Hommes and Versace.

Kit once again hit the runway alongside Royds Withy King clients and members of the Silverlining charity on Thursday, in a night that aimed to raise money for the charity and increase awareness for brain injury.

But how did a local Oxford boy with hopes of studying sports science at university become the up-and-coming model that he is today?

Kit was born in Oxford, but spent his primary school years in Verona, Italy. He speaks Italian fluently, and is passionate about languages and the value of learning them well.

Having started to ski when he was four years old, Kit finished in the top 100 skiers aged under 10 in Italy and the following year he was training with the Italian elite ski school. “We used to ski three or four times a week”, he says, “and I think I saw more of Mario, my ski instructor, than I did of my school teachers during the winter”.

The other great sporting passion in Kit’s life is rugby. He claims it’s a total team sport and he has been playing it since he was eight.

Kit had hopes of moving up from county level rugby in the UK to one day trialling and then playing for England. When explaining why he doesn’t play anymore, he says “a top rugby player can do a shoot, but a top model can’t be a rugby player and I felt that my greatest potential was in modelling. It was a difficult choice.”

Kit insists that he’s been very lucky in his modelling career. But, he continues, “I have been totally supported by my whole family every step of the way”.

Appreciative of the support he has been given in life, Kit is keen to give something back to his local community. Asked ‘why the Silverlining?’, Kit says there are hundreds of good causes that he could support. “I love Silverlining though because I love Nicola [Cale] who introduced it to our family and because it helps people who are affected by a brain injury to be independent”.

Kit had this to say about the night itself: “Everything that I ever took for granted was challenged by the people here tonight. Fashion can be a very serious business and sometimes we have to stop and remind ourselves that it’s about the renewal of who we are and that it can be fun and joyful. I think the Silverliners and the Royds Withy King clients have taken that principle to heart this evening and written it large for all of us to see”.

Take a look at the photographs of the fashion show which was hosted by Royds Withy King last Thursday. “This is joy like no other and I’m delighted to do what I can to encourage their brilliant work by trying to make a little bit of a difference”.